hey everyone and welcome back for another deep dive yeah today we're going to be looking at something that might seem a little counterintuitive at first oh really counterintuitive huh yeah I think so we're talking about the power of online reviews okay I'm listening but specifically for get this brick and mortar businesses interesting I wouldn't have thought online reviews would have much of an impact on people going to a physical store right you would think everything's just moving online right yeah but we found this really interesting podcast all about how Google business profile reviews you know those little star ratings and comments they can actually be a major factor in driving foot traffic huh you know that makes sense when I think about it yeah why well because everyone looks at reviews these days I mean think about it when was the last time you booked a hotel or chose a restaurant or even bought something online without at least glancing at the reviews oh never I always check reviews absolutely yeah exactly it's like this huge unspoken thing that we all do and it makes sense totally it's all about social proof oh social proof okay yeah when we see that other people have had good experiences with a business it gives us the sense of trust like oh if all these people liked it it must be good I see I see so it's like a virtual Word of Mouth kind of exactly and according to this podcast 93% of consumers say online reviews actually impact their purchasing decisions 93% wow yeah it's a big deal and it's not just for like big purchases or online stores this applies to like every business especially local ones okay so give me an example all right imagine you're in a new city you're starving and you need to find somewhere to eat like right now I've been there you quickly Google restaurants near me two options pop up one has a ton of five-star reviews talking about the amazing food and friendly service the other one maybe a couple mediocre reviews maybe even a bad one oh I know exactly which one I'm picking right you're going to go for the one with the glowing reviews every time right every single time makes me feel like those stars are basically little gold medals huh yeah pretty much but it goes even deeper than that deeper yeah these reviews they don't just influence our choices they actually affect how visible a business is in those local searches so like where they show up in the results exactly Google's algorithms you know the things that decide what we see first right they actually take reviews into account no way yeah so the quantity and quality of those reviews they can really impact a business's local search ranking so better reviews higher up on the list exactly and that means more likely to be seen by potential customers wow I mean it makes sense when you lay it out like that it's like before you even step inside a store you've already formed an opinion from the reviews yeah exactly it's like they're creating that all important first impression it's true you see a business with a bunch of positive reviews you just automatically assume it's good you know yeah you just get this feeling of oh this place is quality they've got great service it sets the stage for the whole experience and on the flip side if you see a negative review oh yeah that could be a deal breaker for a lot of people especially if the business doesn't do anything about it oh yeah absolutely like if they don't respond or address the concern makes you wonder if they even care right and that's why it's so important for businesses to not just get those reviews but to actively engage with them engage so responding to them exactly answering questions addressing concerns thanking people for the positive feedback even the bad ones especially the bad ones because that shows you're listening you care and you're willing to make things right so it's not just about getting good reviews it's about how you handle all of them absolutely it's all part of creating that positive customer experience so what do we learn today it seems like online reviews especially Google business profile reviews are way more powerful than we might have realized yeah definitely they can influence our choices boost a business's visibility and shape our first impressions even before we set foot in the door it's like this whole Hidden World of influence happening right under our noses and all because of a few stars and some comments online yep pretty amazing huh it is it really makes you think and on that note we've reached the end of our Deep dive for today but before you go think about a time you chose a business because of its online reviews yeah what was it that made those reviews stand out to you what convinced you to give that business a shot was it the number of stars the specific details in the comments how the business handled negative reviews figuring out what influenced your decision it can actually give you a lot of insight into how these reviews work yeah and how businesses can use them to create a better experience for everyone so take a minute to think about it you might be surprised by what you discover and that's all for today until next time yeah
